Writing Beyond the University opens a space for scholars to come together to address the need to know more about writing in contexts beyond the university.

This kind of writing can occur in a number of discrete or overlapping contexts, including…

Workplaces and civic spaces. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Employment while in school

Employment post-graduation

Community service volunteer work

Civic engagement, for example on a social or political campaign

Service on a non-profit board

Contexts for self-sponsored writing. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Poetry slams / spoken word events

Online spaces for sharing writing/publishing, such as zines and blogs

Social media platforms

Kickstarter / Go-Fund-Me narratives or other proposal pitches

Fanfiction sites

Games/gaming

Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives submissions

Academic contexts that focus on transitions to contexts beyond the classroom or university. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Work-Integrated Learning (e.g., Internships, Co-ops)

Community-Based Learning or Service-Learning

Undergraduate Research

Research Seminar Focus for Multi-Institutional Studies

The CEL Research Seminar on Writing Beyond the University aims to add evidence-based research from a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary lens to address the following overarching research areas and potential sub-questions:

How are writers navigating the changing nature of communication tasks, tools, technologies, and strategies in a volatile world?

What does a writer’s lifespan look like – how is it defined, described, experienced – across different and changing contexts?

What types of collaborative writing experiences do writers encounter across different contexts?

How are writers’ developing professional identities, subjectivities, and practices informed by writing experiences within academic contexts that give writers opportunities to focus on transitions to contexts beyond the university?

The Center’s research seminars employ mixed methods to explore multi-institutional questions about engaged learning, and research teams will be encouraged to work with diverse populations of research participants/subjects, including students, alumni, and community/workplace partners from historically underrepresented groups. We anticipate that some participants in the 2019-2021 research seminar may establish longitudinal research plans, with collaborations continuing beyond the dates of the sponsored research meetings.

Research Cohorts and Seminar Logistics

The Center for Engaged Learning Seminar will support multi-institutional research addressing this theme, with three one-week summer meetings on the Elon University campus.

July 14 – 19, 2019: Participants will meet on Elon’s campus to collaboratively develop and plan multi-institutional research projects to be conducted throughout the following year at the participants’ own institutions. These research cohorts will enable larger scale studies and explorations of the impact of different institutional contexts.

July 12 – 17, 2020: Participants will meet to share their initial multi-institutional results and to plan a more sharply focused research agenda for the research cohort for year two.

July 11 – 16, 2021: Participants will reconvene to share their year-two results, to plan continuations of their work, and to host a conference on the seminar theme.

Elon University will provide lodging and meals for seminar participants during the seminar’s 2019-2021 summer meetings. In addition, each participant will be reimbursed up to $500/year (up to $1000/year for international participants) for travel to the seminar’s summer meetings at Elon University. Full reimbursement policies will be distributed to accepted participants. Other participant expenses, including travel costs above the limit and any research costs, will be paid by the participants and/or their home institutions.

How to Apply

The review committee will select participants from a range of disciplines, institution types (e.g., research-intensive universities, liberal arts colleges, teaching institutions, etc.), and geographic locations to ensure variety in the seminar’s multi-institutional studies. The Center for Engaged Learning is committed to a diverse community of scholars across our programs and welcomes all applicants.

To apply, submit a completed application and abbreviated curriculum vita (CV, 4 pages maximum) by November 12, 2018. The online application form asks for the following information (limit each answer to 250 words or fewer):

Which research area above are you most interested in examining, and why? You may highlight a sub-question or topic if appropriate, but please keep in mind that accepted participants will collaborate on developing shared research questions for their research seminar study.

How does this topic fit with your existing scholarly/professional work or an anticipated trajectory for your scholarly/professional identity?

What research methods do you have experience using, and what research methods might you employ to study this theme?

How do your research interests relate to your institution’s or organization’s priorities or programs?

What kinds of expertise or connections do you bring to the study of writing beyond the university?

More than one person per institution may apply, particularly if institutional representatives are interested in different research areas. Although CEL Seminar projects will be multi-institutional, applicants should not form these teams before they apply; CEL Seminar leaders will create initial teams based on applicants’ information.

A review committee, including the seminar leaders, will review applications, make selections, and notify all applicants by December 21, 2018. Questions about the application and selection process should be directed to centerforengagedlearning@elon.edu.